Stapling machine



LGWM 70 F. G. HUBBARD STAPLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19. 1925 INVENTOR.

A IORIV Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN G. HUBBARD, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO NEVA-CLOG PRODUCTS, INC., 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

STAILING MACHINE.

Application led February 19, 1926. Serial No. 89,332.

This invention relates to a stapling machine, and has more particular reference to the type of stapling'machine wherein each staple to be driven into Work is severed, immediately befoie it is driven, from a strip of integrally connected staples fed forwardly after each operation of the machine to carry the staples successively into a position to be severed and driven. Certain macliines ot' the present general character are known as stapling-pliers, as, for example, the machine of the patent to Vogel, No, 1,043,883, granted November 12, 1912.

rIhe broad object of the invention is to n provide a stapling machine which Will drive individual staples and which is constructed vto preclude the possibility of a staple or staples becoming clogged in the machine dur ing the driving operation.

Machines of the present character heretofore known, so far as I am aware, have been constructed to positively guide each staple from its location of severance until practically completely imbedded and folded in the work, the guiding of the severed staples having been accomplished by devices which the prongs of the staple snugly engage. In certain instances, as, for example, in the machine of the patent to Vogel identified, fixed guides snugly engaging the prongs have directed said prongs to the Work and unt-il completely imbedded and folded in the work, the guides in practice having closely7 engaged three sides of each prong of cially the prongs thereof) have become buckled to jam in the lower part of the machine racevvays. In other instances, as, for example, in the machine of the patent to Polzer, No. 1,523,837, granted January 20, 1925, cognizance li as been taken ofthe fact that staples positively directed by fixed guides which snugly engage the prongs of the staples until practically completely imbedded and folded r are liable to stick in the lower parts of race- Ways, and special movable devices have been employed in connection with staple severing plungers to assist the guiding of the staples, the movable devices being capable of Withdrawal from the raceways directly after a staple driving operation. y i

I have discovered that staples to be imbedded and clenched into work need have a. staple. And frequently the staples (espetheir prongs positively guided only until said prongs engage or commence to enter said Work, it being thereafter sutlicient to positively guide the staple bodies, leaving the work itself to guide the prongs, means at the outer sides of the prongs, naturally, being provided to insure that they will take their proper direction in entering the Work.

It is, therefore, a more specific object of the present invention to provide a stapling lmachine of the general class referred to,

. becoming clogged in the machine during the driving operation.

A further specific object is to provide a stapling machine having means for driving a staple, a fixed staple-prongguide adjacent said means and spaced from Work into which prongs of the staple are adapted to be driven a distance not greater than the length of a staple prong, and a clearance space adjacent the location where each prong is adapt ed to enter Work, whereby both a. staple body and its prongs Will be positively guided until said prongs engage or commence to enter said Work, and said body Will be thereafter positively guided until the staple is imbedded and clenched while saidprongs are suitably guided and yet capable of buckling into said clearance spaces without jamming the stapling machine.

y`With the above objects in View, as well as others which will appear as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises the construction, arrangement, and combination of arts as now to be fully described and as ereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that the disclosure herein is merely illustrative and meant in no Way in a limiting sense, changes in details of construction an arrangement of parts being permissible so long as within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a stapling machine having the features of the invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective View detailing the staple driver and the arrangement for providing a staple-prong-guide;

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary perspective view (detailing the front portion of the slide or Fig. 4 is a. sectional view, taken as on line 4-4 in Fig. 1, disclosing a staple as when being driven into work, the prongs of the .staple having commenced to buckle;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, partially in elevation, of a ymodified form of stapling machine having the featuresl of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view detailing the front portion of the slide or die of the machine of Fig. 5, including the improved staple-prong-guide, disclosing the plunger about to sever a rearwardly bent sta le from a strip of staples;

ig. 7 1s a view corresponding with the showing of Fig. 6, disclosing a severed staple being driven by the plunger; and

Fig. 8. is a fragmentary perspective View detailing the front portion of the slide' or vdie of Fig. 5, one side of the housing being removed.

`The machine of Figs. 1 to 4`com rises a casing 10 adapted to carry the stap e strip. The casing is mounted on a pin 11 by means of lugs 12 protruding from its underside and embracing said pin in such manner that the casing-.may be rocked about the pin, and said casing is loosely in engagement with the inner sides of levers 13 and 14, respectively, which are connected by the pin 11 on which they are adapted to rock together with the staple casing 10. The lever 13 carries the anvil 15, and a bolt 16 rigidly mounted on the lever 14 is connected with the staple driver 17. Said driver moves in a guide-slot 18, formed in the head 19 of the staple casing, and the 'staple strip is yadapted to be automatically fed to position the end staple of the stri directly beneath said guide-slot each time gie jaws of the pliers are made to close. The end of the bolt 16 is screwthreaded for the provision of a nut 20 a ainst which the driver is pressed by means 0 a spring 21 arranged between the end of the lever 14 and the driver 17. Said spring, furthermore, tends to keep the driver in its uppermostposition by rocking the lever 14 as far as possible apart from the casing 10. A second spring 22 connected with the anvil 15 and the lever 14 tends to keep the jaws open. Said spring 22 is fastened at one of its ends to a lug 23 on the inner side of the lever 14 and its other end is secured in a hole 24 in the anvil.

W'ork to be fastened together is placed between the anvil 15 and the underside of the casing 10 whereupon by actuating the handle parts of the levers 13 and 14 said work is firmly gripped by the jaws. Continued movement o the levers in the same direction causes thestaple driver to descend in its guide-slot pushing the foremost staple, which was fed into position below the slot and underneath the driver when the driver had taken -its uppermost position, into the work. In releasing the pressure upon the levers the springs 21 and 22 bring the parts back to their initial positions to separate the jaws. Atthe same time the driver releases the staple strip retained by it during its movement, so that the staple feeder' can feed the foremost staple of the strip into position beneath the slot and driver. j

The casing 10 is U-shaped in cross section and is provided with a removable cover 25. The cover is preferably arched to be able to receive a rod 26 carrying a spiral spring 27 which tends to push astaple feeder 28 toward the front end or head of the casing 10, said feeder engaging the rod 26 by means of a sleeve 29 adapted to be displaced longitudinally on the rod 26. A staple carrier 30 is fastened in the casing 10 as by rivets 31. The rearwardend of the casing is closed by a plate 32 fixed upon the rod 26 and adapted to be removably located in slots 33 in said casing. The spiral spring 27 heilig compressed between the plate 32 and the feeder t28 tends to feed the strip of staples forward toward the head portion 19 of the casing to cause said strip to abut the front wall 34 of said head ortion so that the foremost staple lies direct y beneath the guide slot 18 and driver 17.

The driver in descending removes vsaid foremost staple from the strip of staples and pushes it down to and into the work on the anvil 15 and causes it to be folded and clenched in said work. The driver 17 is of about the thickness of a staple, and the instant a staple is severed its body portion A travels between the forward end 35 of the staple carrier 30 and the front wall 34 of the head ortion 19 of the casing to be thus guide toward the anvil and work, while the.

rongs B are guided toward the work by said ront lwall 34 of the casing and legs 36 of the strip of staples C which are pressed. as described, toward the front wall 34 to bear against the driver 17 now between said front wall 34 and portions of said legs 36.

The lower ends of the legs 36 of the strip of staples C terminate a distance away from the elevation of work to be secured just less than the length of the rongs of staples to be driven into said worli, so that the front wall 34 of the casing head and the legs 36 can cooperate to guide a staple unt1l its prongs have engaged said work or' commenced to enter the work, it of course being understood that the side walls 37 of the casing limit `movement of the sta-ples laterally of the machine while being driven. :i-ee Fig. 4.

As very clearly illustrated, the lower side edges of the forward portion of the carrier are cut away as indicated at 38, the cutaway portions being adjacent the prongs of a staple as positioned to be removed from the strip of staples, and providing clearance spaces for the prongs thereof should they1 be jammed or buckled during the inserting operation.

It will be clear that the legs 36 and the front wall 34 and side walls 37 ofthe casing head are adapted to guide the prongs B until their outer or lower ends reach the work or commence to enter said work, said legs and walls providing a guide for said prongs snugly engaging the prongs at three sides of each prong, while the cut-away portions 38 provide clearance spaces between the stapleprong-guide (or guides) and the work, which spaces can freely receive staple prongs failing to enter the workto become clenched or folded. Also it will be clear that the body A of a staple is guided positively by the front wall 34 and forward face 35 until the staple is driven in and clenched. 39 is a pivoted arm which may be situated upon I: the front wall 34 of the casing head to co operate withisaid front wall and facein guiding said staple body.

The clearance spaces 38 may be of any dimensions preferred. The spaces as disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 have been found satisfactory.

The present stapling machine functions on the principle that the staple prongs need be engagedly guided only until they have reached the work, or commenced to enter the work, and that thereafter, all that is lnecessary is to positively guide the staple body. Naturally, the side walls 37 are required to insure that the prongs will take their intended direction during the clenching operation.

The machine disclosed in Figs. 5 to 8 eomprises the base 40 carrying the anvil 4l adapted to coact with the plunger for clenching the staples. The base 40 is provided at its end spaced from the anvil with upwardly extending ears 42 between which is pivoted the slide or die 43, as by a pin 44, this slide or die providing a staple strip carrier and being mounted and secured in any suitable manner in the lower part of a housing 45. At the forward end of the housing are vertical grooves 46 forming guides for the plunger 47 adapted tocoact with the forward up-l per edge of the slide 43 to sever individual staples fro-m the strip as the plunger is forced downwardly'. y

Within the housing above the slide is mounted .the usual staple strip feeding and holding mechanism. As disclosed, the feeding and holding mechanism con'lprises a cam plate 48 pivoted atl 49 and having spaced lugs 50 and 51 adapted to be engaged by a lug 52 on the plunger as the plunger is reciprocated to rock the cam plate on a pivot and move the feed pawl 53 back and forth. This feed pawl is pivoted to the cam plate, as shown at 54, and` has lingers at its forward end to engage between the individual staples in usual manner. Beneath this feed pawl and straddled thereby is a holdback 55 pivoted at 56 and also provided at its forward edge with fingers adapted to engage the rear side of the individual staples to prevent backward movement of the staple strip as the feed pawl is moved backwardly. The feed pawl and holdbaclr are held in engagement with the staple strip by the free arms 57 and 58 of a wire spring mounted on a pin 59.

A hand knob 60 by which the plunger is forced downwardly for the staple settinnr operation is secured to the upper end of the plunger, and there is a coil spring 6l between this knob and the top of the housing to return the knob to its elevated position after the staple has been set.

The slide 43 for supporting and guiding the staple strip is of a width on its upper portion sli htly less than the distance between the ownwardly extending prongs of the staples, as indicated at 62, but is shown as being wider beneath these prongs, as indicated at 63, somewhat wider than the width of the staple.

The grooves 46 terminate just above the elevation of the top face of the slide, and the staple feeding mechanism is adapted to feed the strip so that the foremost staple is directly beneath the grooves 46 and the plunger 47, and so that said foremost staple is preferably contiguous with or closely adjacent to the front, inner wall (or walls) 64 of the housing, which wall is a continuation of the forward walls of the groove 46.

The front portions of the wider part 63 of the slide 43 are beveled to slant forwardly, as indicated at 65, and directly beneath the bevels, said` front portions are in the plane of the forward face 66 of the slide 43, as denoted at 67. Below the locations 67, said wider parts 63 are cut away, as denoted at 68, to afford clearance spaces for the sta le prongs, as in the form of the invention isclosed'in Figs. 1 to 4.

It will be seen .that in the present instance,

the beveled walls insure that the staple prongs will be I The wall (or wal s) 64 and the portlons 67 uided toward the anvil.`

' provide a positive guide for the staple prongs until they engage or commence to enter work, said portions 67 being spaced from the work a distance not greater than the length of a prong, and the clearances G8 function to freely receive buckled staples to preclude the possibility -of their becoming jammed i the machine. Said Wall (or walls) 64 and the face 66 positively guide the staple body `until the staple is completely imbedded and clenched or folded in the work. The side Walls 69 of the housing function to insure that the prongs will take their intended direction during the clenchin operation.

at I claim is:

vl. In a stapling machine, a staple driver, an anvil cooperating with said driver, means for positively guiding the body of a staple propelled by the driver until said body is in engagement with work disposed on said anvil provided vvith clearance spaces adapted to receive prongs of the staple being inserted when they are in work engaging position and permit the same to buckle should they become jammed and fail to enter the work, and means for causing the prongs of the staple to be guided While they are being inserted adapted to exercise the entire guiding action of the staple prongs at a point spaced from the Work.

2. In a stapling machine, a staple severer and driver, an anvil cooperating with said severer and driver, a staple carrier adapted to receive a strip of staples, means urging said strip to a position Where a Staple aligns With sald severer and driver` means for guidinor the body of a severed staple propelled Lby said severer and driver from the position of said strip of staples to work upon the anvil, and means for causing the prongs of the staple to be guided while they are being inserted adapted to exercise the entire guiding action of the staple prongs at a point spaced from the work, there being clearance spaces adjacent the prongs and between the Work and last mentioned guide means adapted to freely receive any staple prongs which may fail to properly enter the Work. y

Signed at Bridgeport in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut this l2 day of February, A. D., 1926.

FRANKLIN G. HUBBARD. 

